UFC

UFC Returns to Apex With Tatsuro Taira vs. HyunSung Park Flyweight Main Event

By LockerRoom Team August 18, 2025

For the first time in two months, the UFC Apex will host live action Saturday with a stacked card featuring fights across eight divisions, headlined by a flyweight showdown between Tatsuro Taira and HyunSung Park.

The event will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.

Main Event: Tatsuro Taira vs. HyunSung Park

Taira (16-1) steps back into the Octagon after suffering his first professional loss last October to Brandon Royval. The 25-year-old Japanese prospect is headlining for the third straight fight and remains one of the division’s brightest young stars.

Park (10-0), winner of “Road to UFC,” replaces Amir Albazi on short notice. The undefeated South Korean grappler has finished his last nine victories and was originally scheduled to fight former title challenger Steve Erceg next week.

The matchup will serve as a measuring stick for both fighters — Taira seeking to prove he’s still among the flyweight elite, and Park looking to break through as a legitimate contender with an 11th straight victory.

Co-Main Event: Mateusz Rebecki vs. Chris Duncan

European lightweights Mateusz Rebecki (19-2) of Poland and Chris Duncan (13-2) of Scotland face off in the co-main event.

Rebecki rebounded from his first UFC loss with a Fight of the Night win over Myktybek Orolbai last year and has gone 4-1 inside the promotion. Duncan, also 4-1 in the UFC, arrives on a two-fight winning streak with back-to-back submission victories.

Additional Main Card Fights

  • Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics: Two action-packed lightweights square off, both looking to rebound after recent setbacks. Brener (16-5) started strong in the UFC but has lost his last two, while Ribovics (12-2) aims to bounce back after a split-decision loss to Nasrat Haqparast.

  • Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornolle: Ranked bantamweights clash as Rosa (17-6) seeks consistency against Cornolle (12-4), who is coming off a submission win but has missed weight in her last two victories.

  • Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos: Veteran welterweights meet with both looking to snap recent skids. Magny (28-13) is trying to avoid his first three-fight losing streak, while Zaleski dos Santos (24-9-1) has won just once in his last four outings.

  • Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos: Featherweight prospects open the main card. Silva (11-1), training under Cub Swanson, has won four straight, while Vallejos (15-1) is coming off a first-round finish in his UFC debut.

Preliminary Card Highlights

  • Rinya Nakamura vs. Nathan Fletcher: Bantamweights from “Road to UFC” and “The Ultimate Fighter” collide.

  • Rodolfo Vieira vs. Tresean Gore: Middleweights look to rebound from recent losses.

  • Nick Klein vs. Andrey Pulyaev: DWCS graduates meet in a middleweight clash.

  • Rafael Estevam vs. Felipe Bunes: An all-Brazilian flyweight battle, with Estevam (13-0) aiming to remain undefeated.

  • Piera Rodriguez vs. Ketlen Souza: Strawweights meet as both look to climb the division ladder.

The UFC Apex card delivers a mix of veteran names, rising prospects, and crucial divisional matchups — with Taira vs. Park setting the tone for the flyweight division’s future.